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Continue reading →: The Pastor-Congregation Ministry Duet“Every pastor in Ontario is writing their memoir”–or so I’ve been told. I hope so, since stories of ministry and of the church are precious and have a lot to teach us. And I hope every memoir is as engaging as The Pastor-Congregation Duet by Gary Harder, a long-time pastor and…
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Continue reading →: Increasing Your Church’s Capacity for ConversationIt is in our churches, I believe, that we learn how to talk well with others. – C. Christopher Smith I wish that were true, don’t you? That in our churches we would learn how to talk well with others—instead of talking past one another, or taking up positions of…
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Continue reading →: Flourishing Congregations: From Understanding to PracticeSince I first heard of the Flourishing Congregations Institute, I’ve been a big fan of their work. While much has already been written on the church in the U.S.A. and U.K., Flourishing Congregations is doing original research on the church in Canada. While some focus on what’s wrong with the…
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Continue reading →: Church, Community, and Cooperative MinistryI appreciate Ron Johnson over at Small Church Connections, and often find that his encouragement and resources for small churches in Canada speak to churches and other Christian organizations of any size and anywhere. Today I’m pleased to share an edited version of an article that first appeared on his…
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Continue reading →: Ministry After Pastoral MinistryOver the last few months, I’ve been making the change from full-time pastoral ministry to “the full-time writer gig” as Steve Kimes put it when he interviewed me recently for a MennoNerds podcast. The conviction to complete my pastoral ministry has led to my new role as Resident Author with…
When You Work for the Church
Hello,
I’m April Yamasaki
Welcome to When You Work for the Church. I’ve been a church volunteer and a full-time pastor. I’ve led small groups and served on denominational committees. When I resigned from pastoral ministry to focus on my writing, I knew that I wanted to be—needed to be—grounded in a local congregation. I love the church!
But I also know that churches and church organizations have not always lived up to their calling, have brought harm instead of healing. So I started this website to share resources for doing ministry better, and pray that together we might serve more faithfully and effectively.
For a healthy rhythm of work and rest, I’d love to send you my ebook.
When You Work for the Church 